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June 25, 2026JOB VACANCIES, APRIL 2026 Monthly (April vs March 2026, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 13,585 job vacancies in April 2026, down 1.2% (-165 vacancies) from March 2026. The vacancy rate of 2.9% was unchanged from the previous month.
Canadian employers were actively recruiting for 490,405 positions in April with the national job vacancy rate of 2.7%, down 0.1 percentage point from last month. Among provinces, three reported lower vacancy rates, four were unchanged, and three increased compared to March. The highest vacancy rate was reported in British Columbia, while the lowest was in Newfoundland in Labrador.
National job vacancies fell 0.7% (-3,425 vacant positions). Job vacancies fell in four provinces, led by Prince Edward Island. New Brunswick reported the fastest rise in vacant positions.
Year-over-year (April 2026 vs April 2025)
Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate was unchanged compared to one year ago. Nationally, the job vacancy rate declined 0.1 percentage point compared to April 2025. Three provinces reported lower job vacancy rates, with the largest percentage point decline reported in Manitoba (-0.6 percentage points). The largest increase in job vacancy rate was reported in New Brunswick (+0.7 percentage points).
When compared to April 2025, the number of job vacancies in Nova Scotia fell 0.3% or by 45 vacancies. National job vacancies declined 3.4% or by 17,485 vacant positions. Four provinces reported declines in the number of vacancies over the twelve-month period ending in April, led by Ontario. New Brunswick reported the fastest rise in job vacancies.
Trend
Nationally, job vacancy rates have trended downward after peaking in the spring of 2022.
Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate peaked in the spring of 2022 and has also been on a downward trend. Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate has fluctuated in a narrow band around 3.0% since mid-2024. Nova Scotia's job vacancy rate has been above or equal to the national rate for the last eighteen months.
Nova Scotia's job vacancies peaked at 22,585 in July 2022 and have been trending down. There was an increase in Nova Scotia job vacancies through the summer of 2025, followed by a decrease in the autumn months.
Canada job vacancy rate and job vacancies by industry, April 2026
Nationally, accommodation/food services, personal/repair services, and health care/social assistance had the highest job vacancy rates. The lowest vacancy rates were in education, company management and utilities. Construction and admin/support/waste management reported the largest percentage point declines in the vacancy rate. Manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, transportation, and finance/insurance reported higher vacancy rates compared to a year ago.
Health care and social assistance had the highest number of vacancies in Canada at 99,330 in April 2026. Construction experienced the largest decline in job vacancies compared to one year ago (-9,800) while retail trade reported the biggest increase in job vacancies (+7,350).
Notes: The job vacancy rate is the percentage of job positions (both filled and vacant) that are vacant. A higher job vacancy rate indicates a tighter labour market where it is more difficult for employers to find suitable candidates for the positions offered. A lower job vacancy rate signals labour market slack and potentially more job seekers competing for each vacant position.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was suspended from April to October 2020. There remains a break in this data series.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0432-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by provinces and territories, monthly, adjusted for seasonality, Table 14-10-0406-01 Job vacancies, payroll employees, and job vacancy rate by industry sector, monthly, adjusted for seasonality
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